Cover assembly for a receptacle



Nov. 23, 1965 v. s. DEISNER 3,219,227

COVER ASSEMBLY FOR A RECEPTACLE Filed July 1, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PU SH llllIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliilllllll INVENTOR. VIRG IL 8. DEISNER 6 ATTORNEYS Nov. 23, 1965 v. s. DEISNER COVER ASSEMBLY FOR A RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1 1963 2 517/ I L {1H 75 FIG-8 FIG-12 36 35 Y INVENTOR.

VIRGIL S. DEISNER ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofilice 3,219,227 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 3,219,227 COVER ASSEMBLY FOR A RECEPTACLE Virgil S. Deisner, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Florsheim Manufacturing Company, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed July 1, 1963, Ser. No. 291,655 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-31) The invention relates to containers and covers therefor, and particularly to trash receptacles and the like.

The sheet metal trash receptacles which are used extensively in public and semi-private places, such as parks and restaurants, suffer from many disadvantages including their inability to withstand rough handling without being permanently dented and having the paint chipped therefrom. These factors lead to an unsightly appearance, as well as to corrosion, and both of which limit the useful life of the receptacle. Moreover, the sheet metal covers for these receptacles are diflicult and expensive to fabricate, and often are not air tight so that a fire can be started therein.

Accordingly, an important object of this invention is to provide an improved trash receptacle or the like which is not susceptible to denting or corrosion and therefore can be roughly handled, and particularly to provide a receptacle of the aforesaid type which is simply and easily manufactured at a minimum cost from only a few separate components.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trash receptacle of the above type which is substantially air tight so that a fire cannot burn therein, and rain or snow will not enter the interior thereof, and particularly to provide such a trash receptacle with a simplified cover having a normally closed door which pivots to an open position in response to a gradually decreasing force on the door.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drum that is capable of being stacked for shipment when full, as well as being nestable for ease and efficient handling and storage when empty, and particularly to provide such a drum having a reinforcing sleeve for maintaining the configuration of the drum over long periods of storage while the drum is filled.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a trash receptacle in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cover for the trash receptacle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken essentially along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken essentially along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is another sectional View taken along the line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 77 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the frame and door assembly with the door partially broken away to illustrate other portions of the assembly;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the door operating mechanism taken essentially along the line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken essentially along the line 1111 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 11 and taken along the line 12-12 of FIG. 8.

Referring to the drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated, FIG. 1 shows a trash receptacle 10 which includes a drum 11 having the dome shaped cover 12 removably mounted thereon. Both the drum 11 and its cover 12 are preferably constructed of a resilient and corrosion resistant material, such as polyethylene plastic, so that it can be roughly handled without fear of becoming permanently dented. Since the plastic does not require painting or other coating, there is no fear of scratching or chipping the paint. The cover 12 has radially extending ears 15 on three sides thereof which receive the conventional mounting chains, not shown, for supporting the cover 12 independently of the drum 11 when the latter is being emptied. If the receptacle is to be utilized without such a cover support mechanism, for example, in an indoor installation, the ears 15 are eliminated.

The cover 12 has a sheet metal door 17 pivotally mounted thereon for movement inwardly in response to a pushing action to permit trash and the like to be placed easily in the drum 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the door 17 is positioned at an angle to the vertical so that trash can be conveniently inserted inwardly and downwardly therethrough into the drum 11. The door 17 is recessed in the cover 12 for esthetic characteristics, and consequently the vertical side and top walls 21, 22, and 23 are formed as seen in FIGS. 2 and 6. These walls terminate in an integral flat peripheral flange 25 which defines the inlet opening 26 through the cover 12.

The door 17 and its associated operating components are mounted solely on a rectangular frame 28 which is secured to and reinforces the cover 12 around the periphery of the opening 26 in such a manner that movement of the door 17 does not stress the relatively thin plastic cover 12. As shown in FIG. 8, the frame 28 comprises top and bottom members 31 and 32 having the identical side members 33 rigidly extending between opposite ends thereof. The upper member 31 has the tongues 35 on each end thereof which are brazed or spot welded (FIGS. 8 and 12) to the upper portions 36 of the L-shaped side members 33. The lower member 32 is V-shaped in crosssection and is secured to the lower end of the side members 33 by brazing or spot Welding the outwardly extending tabs 37 (FIG. 11) on the side member 33 to the top surface 38 of the lower member 32. This arrangement thus creates a rigid rectangular frame 28 which is mounted internally of the cover 12, as will be described.

The right and left hand side members 33 of the frame 28 are secured to the cover in substantially the same manner, and consequently only the left side is described in detail. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the left side member 33 of the frame 28 is secured to the plastic cover 12 by placing the upper surface 36 of the side member 33 adjacent the lower surface 40 of the peripheral flange 25 around the door opening 26. A portion of the plastic material adjacent the opening 26 is then heated and deformed around the vertical section 41 of the side member 33 to form a U-shaped support 43 which surrounds the vertical section 41 and holds the upper surface 36 against the flange 25 to prevent vertical movement of the side members 33. The side flanges 44 of the door 17 closely abut the adjacent vertical surface of the U-shaped supports 43 so that the flow of air therebetween is restricted to a minimum.

As shown in FIG. 4, the slanted portion 45 of the upper member 31 is similarly secured adjacent the lower surface 40 of the flange 25 around the door opening 26 by the U-shaped frame support 47 of plastic material which is wrapped around the lower section 48 to hold the upper member 31 of the frame 28 in position. The upper flange 49 on the door corresponds in shape to the adjacent surface of the support 47 so that air tight contact is provided therebetween when the door is closed.

The lower member 32 is held similarly in position, as I shown in FIG. 5, with the horizontal portion 50 engaging the downwardly extending head 51 which forms the external horizontal groove 52. The U-shaped frame sup port 53 of the plastic material surrounds both sides of the vertical portion 55 of this lower member 32 for hold: ing it in position against movement. Like the other flanges on the door 17, the lower flange 56 has a shape complementary to the adjacent portion of the support 53 so that when the door 17 is closed there is a substantially fluid-tight seal. Thus each of the four frame members 31, 32, and 33 is held securely imposition on the cover 12 around the periphery of the door opening 26 by deforming the supports 43, 47, and 53 around the frame 28.

The door 17 is constructed of sheet metal and has the side, upper and lower flanges 44, 49, and 56 thereon which add rigidity to the door and cooperate with the adjacent portions of the cover 12 to provide a substantially fireproof seal around the door. The frame 28 provides a rigid framework on which the pivotal door 17 is mounted by the axle 57 which extends completely across the opening 26 and into each of the side members 33 near the top of the frame 28, as shown in FIG. 8. The axle 57 thus extends through the apertures 61 (FIG. 7) in the side members 33 of the frame 28, as well as through the openings 63 in the side flanges 44 of the door 17, and movement of the axle 57 in an axial direction is prohibited by the lock washers 64 which engage the opposite ends of the axle and abut the U-shaped supports 43, as shown in FIG. 7.

The door 17 is biased towards a closed position wherein the lower flange 56 engages the frame support 53 and the upper flange 49 is positioned adjacent the upper support 47. The bias is provided by the springs 65 which extend between the inwardly projecting arms 66 (FIGS. 9 and 10) on the door 17 adjacent the side flanges 33 and just below the axle 57, and the side members 33 at a point below the arm 66. As the door 17 is moved toward the open position, the increased force required to expand the springs 65 is offset by the decreased lever arm between the pivot axis of the axle 57 and the axis of each spring 65 (see the broken lines of FIG. 9) so that a gradually decreasing force is required to move the door toward the fully open position thus facilitating insertion of trash through the opening 26 and into the drum 11.

The groove 52 (FIGS. and 6) is provided adjacent the bottom edge of the door 17 so that when water from rain or any other source falls onto the door 17, it will flow downwardly into the groove 52, and then sideways into the outlet grooves 70 and 71 and off the cover 12. The entrance ledge '73 between the groove 52 and the outer periphery of the cover 12 is sloped downwardly from the outside edge of the groove so that any liquid which might be spilled thereon will not flow into the interior of the drum 11, thus improving the cleanliness of the receptacle 10, as well as the appearance of the cover 12.

The cover 12 is secured releasably on the upper periphery of the drum 11 by engagement of the peripheral flange 75 (FIG. 6) with a complementary flange 76 around the top edge of the drum 11. The peripheral flange 75 includes the downwardly extending section 77 which has a downwardly and inwardly sloped lock portion 78 thereon which can be stretched around the flange 76 on the drum 11. The latter flange 76 consists of horizontal and vertical sections 81 and 82 which are flexible for allowing the peripheral flange to be secured thereon.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A cover assembly for a trash receptacle or the like comprising a flexible synthetic plastic body having a generally spherical dome, an opening in said dome defined by a pair of generally vertical side walls extending downwardly from said dome, a generally vertical back wall integral with said side walls and extending downwardly from the top of said dome, and a front wall extending inwardly from the periphery of said dome and sloping downwardly toward said periphery, the inner edge of said front wall defining said opening in cooperation with said side walls and said back wall, a flange extending downwardly from said inner edge, and door means cooperating with said body to provide a substantially fluid tight closure, said door means having a web portion disposed at an angle to the vertical when in the closed position and substantially filling said opening, said door means having a forward edge aligned with said inner edge of said front wall and having a rearward edge disposed against said back wall and above said forward edge, generally vertical lips extending downwardly from said forward edge, said rearward edge and the side edges of said web, pivot means connecting the side lips to said side walls adjacent to but spaced from said rearward edge, reinforcing means on said side walls to support said pivot means therein and maintain a pivotal connection therebetween, and spring means providing relatively constant tension irrespective of the position of said door means, said spring means being secured between said door means at a position forwardly of said pivot means and said side lips whereby said web means is urged into said opening, said forward lip is urged into sealing engagement with said flange, said rearward lip is urged into sealing engagement with said back wall, and said side lips are in close fitting alignment with said side walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,526,752 2/1925 Langford 220 32 1,692,287 11/1928 *Bundy 220- 32 1,937,337 11/1933 Gaa 220-35 2,217,570 10/1940 Stroup 220-35 2,480,965 9/1949 Remke 61131 220-35 2,654,503 10/1953 Parsell 220 35 2,657,824 11/1953 Mariani 220 35 2,813,655 11/1957 Hall 220-71 2,826,330 3/1958 Imparato 220-71 3,096,900 7/1963 Breneman 220-4 FOREIGN PATENTS 608,957 11/1960 Canada,

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

R. A. JENSEN, Examiner.

R. H. SCHWARTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

